Guilt Ridden and Love Lost
by emoTWiLiGHT
Summary: They both lost their loves, now will they find it again in each other? Sequel to The Thief. OCxOC
1. Running Away from a Crushcrushcrush

**Alright. Well I'm making this sequel even though I have no clue how to, or what I'm really going to do. I just don't know. And I think I should recap the Thief, so people just randomly clickin on this story don't have to go back and read the Thief. Hmm. I don't know what I'm doing. I should go eat some sugar and put on some music, cause that's really the only way I can write. Of course the sugar thing works better for Weirder Than Fiction. Lol. AGH I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!**

**If this sucks, blame Ashleigh cause she told me I had to write. So yeah.**

**I don't own twilight, but I do own Daniel and Caleb, although I don't know if I'll be mentioning Caleb in this story. Wait, of course I will. Duh.**

**Ashleigh's POV**

After a bit of driving, I realised I was being stupid. I slowed down the car and drove until I found a place to park. I was just out of the Forks borderline, near the forest.

I stayed in the car, thinking. Why would I run off like that? What was so embarrassing about him knowing that it was me singing in the airport? I just sang karaoke for crying out loud. But, I just don't know.

It was so silent in the car I couldn't think. So I got out my iPod and hastily switched it on Shuffle. The music for 'Running Away' by Midnight Hour started. I groaned. The song that started all of this. It was like, no matter how much I ran, I couldn't get away from it.

Couldn't get away from the song, couldn't get away from my thoughts, couldn't get away from my past, couldn't get away from my life.

I started. Whoa. Where did that thought come from? I wasn't like that. Was I? No, I knew I wasn't. I'd gotten past that stage in my existence. Right?

Caleb was gone, he was never coming back, it was my fault. I wasn't okay with that, but I was okay enough to keep existing. So where did that thought come from?

This song must be depressing me. I sighed and hit skip.

As the music started, I almost burst out laughing. It was 'crushcrushcrush.' How ironic. Just how freakin' ironic. I giggled slightly and sang along with the words, my mood suddenly lifted.

I leaned back against the car seat and closed my eyes, letting the music fill my thoughts as I sang along. At first, I was picturing the music video for the song. Then my thoughts changed, and I didn't even realise what I was thinking about until a new song started.

**Cliffie! Lol sorry. I hate doing short chapters, but I just felt like leaving it there. Next chapter will be a recap of the Thief, for those of you who haven't read it and don't want to read it yet. Lol.**

**Please review!!**

_Thanks to my non-beta beta, Obsessed.with.writing aka Ashleigh! Yep, this character is sort of based on her. Well at first it was just her name, but a lot of things are similar. So check out her stories! They're better than mine!_


	2. Chapter 0: Recap of The Thief

**Alright. So this is just a recap of the Thief. And I'm not going to do it in story form, I'm just going to tell you what happened.**

A new vampire, Daniel, came to Forks. Bella ran into him at the grocery store and raced home to tell Edward. (Daniel was a vegetarian vampire, don't worry)

Edward didn't believe Bella and they got into a fight and he left (too cool down or whatever, I don't know.)

We went to his house, where (gasp) Daniel was aking if he could be a part of their coven. well, Edward then realised that Bella hadn't been lying. So he felt bad about not believing her and wanted to go to her house and apolgise, but Carlisle told him he had to stay and vote on the acceptance of a new membr into their coven. (that sentence wasn't grammatically correct. Bleh)

Meanwhile, Daniel went wandering to find the girl who assured him the Cullens were nice. Bella.

Daniel and Bella started a quick friendship, but Bella was confused as to why Edward wasn't at her hosue apologising. She shrugged it off at first, but when she was sure that he would have be back if he was going to come back at all, she fell apart again. Only this time, Daniel was there to hold her and comfort her.

Of course, that's when it all started.

You don't find out until the end, but Edward had come back to the house to apologise to Bella as soon as he could. But when he got there, he saw Bella and Daniel through the window. Edward didn't know that Daniel was comforting Bella, he just saw Daniel holding her close. Edward thought Bella was mad at him and moved on. It broke his dead heart and he left Forks.

The Cullens tried to hide it from Bella and they tried to find him, but it didn't work. Daniel became Bella's boyfriend, and he kept her from falling apart. She never thought of Edward when Daniel was around. She fell in love with him.

Meanwhile, Edward was on his way to Italy. First, he stopped at a diner in England where he met Ashleigh. Ashleigh was a vegetarian vampire. She learned that he was planning on going to Italy, a plan he didn't decide on until that moment.

She followed him as soon as her shift was over. They both had to wait in the airport until the next flight. They didn't know that they were both in the airport together.

In Italy, Ashleigh saved Edward from the Volturi and then dragged him to Forks, pretending that she wanted to meet the Cullens. Truth was, she hadn't talked to any other vampires in over a century and she wanted to get Edward and Bella back together.

When Ashleigh was changed, she had a love named Caleb. He got killed by Aro one day, protecting her. Ashleigh thought it was her fault and swore never to make friends with vampires again.

Well, that got thrown out of the window when she saved Edward.

In the end, Edward learned that it had all been a mistake, that Bella had never stopped loving him, and they got back together. Bella told Daniel. He was heartbroken, but he also couldn't figure out why Ashleigh was so intriguing to him.

Ashleigh had run out of the Cullen household after learning that Edward had heard her singing in the airport. Also, Ashleigh couldn't figure out why Daniel was so intriguing to her..

This is their story.

**Lol I feel like a narrator. But I had to add that last sentence. Oh frak this should have been the first chapter. Oh well.**

**Anyway, that was a short recap of the main plot in the Thief, just in case you didn't read it. You really should though cause it might make more sense. And because I want reviews. Lol.**

_Yay for the best non-beta beta anyone could ever ask for, Obsessed.with.writing!! She says her stories aren't better than mine, but don't all authors hate their own work and love everyone else's?!_


	3. What She Needs

**I'm so sorry I haven't updated! I have a bit of brain freeze, and I have driving school to go to everyday now. This week, it's been 9am-12pm, but next week it'll be 4pm-7pm, so I might have more time to write. I don't know.**

**Sorry for the delay! I hope you like this chapter.**

**I do not own twilight or any of these songs. I own Daniel.**

**Please review!!**

I had been thinking about Daniel. For what reason, I did not know.

And I didn't not have time to think about it, because another one of my favorite songs came on. 'Whoa' by paramore. I grinned as the music started and began singing along. I loved yelling out the 'whoa' part!

When the song ended, I felt better. Favorite songs did that, made you forget that bad existed in the world. It was nice. Very comforting.

I continued through the shuffle, skipping songs I didn't feel like listening to at the moment. Then a song that I loved but forgot that I loved came on and I couldn't help but listen to it as I read along with the lyrics.

_Look into her eyes  
__You can see she's crying out  
__She hides behind her smile  
__You can see the pain of doubt  
__And if you would hold her close  
__You could feel the brokenness inside  
__You would know she feels alone  
__She feels empty_

_She needs more then a hug on a holiday  
__She needs more then a smile on a Sunday  
__She's not looking for you to fix what's wrong  
__She really wants to know, really wants to know she belongs  
S__he needs more then a love song_

The song was beautiful. Tears that would never be shed gathered in my eyes at the raw emotion of the song.

_Listen to her now  
__Broken is a beautiful sound  
__She's a little scared  
__She's afraid of falling further down  
__But maybe if you let her know  
__And gave her just a little hope  
__Somehow if she knew the truth she'd come alive_

_She needs more then a hug on a holiday  
__She needs more then a smile on a Sunday  
__She's not looking for you to fix what's wrong  
__She really wants to know, really wants to know she belongs  
__She needs more then a love song_

I found myself singing along with the chorus softly. Suddenly, it didn't feel like a song anymore. It felt like words. It felt so real. I didn't know how to describe it.

_In the end  
__We will learn  
__Actions speak louder then our words_

_She needs more then a hug on a holiday  
__She needs more then a smile on a Sunday  
__She's not looking for you to fix what's wrong  
__She really wants to know, really wants to know she belongs  
__She needs more then a love song_

_She needs more then a hug on a holiday  
__She needs more then a smile on a Sunday  
__She's not looking for you to fix what's wrong  
__She really wants to know, really wants to know she belongs  
__She needs more then a love song_

_More than a love song_

The song ended and I broke down into tearless sobs.

**Daniel's POV**

I left the Cullens' house to look for my love. If I had one, anyway.

Where to begin? I thought as I drove away from Forks. I had no idea how to do this. Would I have to stop at every public place to look? And how would I know when I found her?

Suddenly, I saw a car pulled over at the side of the road and I heard sobbing. As I got closer to the car, I could tell who was inside it.

Ashleigh Spurr, the vampire who had saved Edward. The pretty one with the British accent.

I pulled my car to the side of the road behind hers. Why was she sobbing?

I got out of my car and walked over to her door. I had to make her stop crying, it was breaking my dead heart.

My feet moved by themselves towards her car. What was I doing? Was I just going to knock on her window? It would probably scare the crap out of her.

What I was doing made no sense, but I was doing it.

I was at her door. It was unlocked. Why not, I thought as I opened it.

Ashleigh was still sobbing, but she noticed when her door opened. She glanced up at me and continued sobbing.

Not thinking, I placed my arms around her and lifted her up, scooting into her seat and placing her on my lap. She buried her face into my shoulder and resumed her tearless sobbing.

**Urgh. Sorry it was so short. I suck. Please review.**

_Thanks to the best non-beta beta (I really need to get a new line) Obsessed.with.writing !_

_She's sort of convinced me not to ditch this story. (You'd better keep your end of the bargain!) _


	4. Beginning The Steal, For Both

**Whoa. I didn't know I was going to write two chapters! But an idea came into my head. Lol, that's what happens! I get writer's block for awhile, then I get an overload of ideas.**

**I do not own twilight. I own Daniel.**

**Please review.**

During my sobbing, the door opened. I looked up to find Daniel. He was looking at me with concern, but I barely noticed. I was too busy sobbing.

Oh, how I wished I could actually cry tears.

I was vaguely aware as I felt Daniel's arms around me, lifting me up before placing me on his lap. It was awkward, but it was what I needed. I buried my head into his shoulder and continued my embarrassing sobfest.

I didn't know how long I was like that, but eventually I started to quiet down. Then my brain kicked in. Why was I doing this? And how had Daniel found me like this? _Why_ did he find me like this? Oh, that is so embarrasing!

I stopped sobbing and regained my composure. I looked up at Daniel. He was looking at me with concern, but he didn't look unhappy at all.

"I'm sorry. How did you find me?"

"I was driving and I saw your car and heard sobbing. Are you alright?"

I looked down, letting my hair fall in my face.

"Yeah. Just an emotional song, that's all." Hmm. An emotional song that could have been written for me, the way it felt.

Daniel's fingers touched my chin and brought my face up, sliding to my cheek and tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Are you sure you're ok?" His voice was deep, soft yet manly and somewhat husky. My eyes caught his and I was once again grateful that I couldn't blush. I also couldn't seem to look away, even though I felt my breath slowly leaving my lungs. Not that I needed to breathe.

"What? Um, yeah." I blinked, trying to clear my head. What was that about?

Daniel smiled slightly. I smiled back, feebly.

Not sure what else to say, we sat in silence for awhile before Daniel realised--

"Oh. Sorry. Um, you want your car back?" As he spoke, he tried to get out of my car and let me have my seat back, but while making as little contact as possible. I appreciated that he was trying not to offend me, but the no-contact thing wasn't working. He opened the door and tried to slide out from under me, holding onto the frame of the car for support. My body slid with his and we thumped onto the ground. Daniel landed flat on his back, while I landed with my stomach on his. Our faces landed inches from each other's. It was totally unexpected and very awkward. We both blinked, trying to figure out what happened.

"Sorry," I muttered as I jumped up. It was an embarrassing situation and I was eager to get away from it. It would have worked, except Daniel jumped up at the same time I did, throwing me into the car. I landed on the seat with an "Oof."

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Daniel was standing near the car. We had finally accomplished our mission, me in the drivers' seat and him outside. It only took a couple of tries and embarrassing landings.

Very embarrassing.

First, I had learned that Edward heard me singing at the airport, then I ran away, then Daniel witnessed my sobbing about a song, then all the complicated landing situations. What a day.

I turned the key in the ignition and looked over at Daniel, who was still outside my car. He looked just as embarrassed as I did. But he also looked amused.

"Let's not speak of that to anyone, ok?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Ok," he laughed. I smiled and drove away. I knew I would be thinking about that later. About his eyes, his smile, his laugh, his voice. Everything. I just didn't know why.

**Daniel's POV**

Well, that was... different, I thought as I watched Ashleigh drive away.

I wondered if I should follow her. I wasn't ready to never see her again. I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to watch her speak, to hear her voice, her laugh. I wanted to look into her eyes and know she was doing the same. I wanted to tell her about my past, about something I had never told anyone before.

**Oo!! Cliffie! You know you love me! Review!**

_I'm not even going to say it. I'm just going to say that most of my writing happens because of Obsessed.with.writing_

_So thanks! Thanks for putting up with my craziness, my stupidity, my writer's block, my obsessiveness, my crappy chapters, my typos, my slow beta-ing... anything else I missed: sorry!_

_Thanks! x_


	5. Confusion and Hunting

**I am so sorry for the delay!! I've been really busy, and when I wasn't busy, I didn't know what to write!! Sorry!**

**I do not own Twilight, but I do own Daniel. Please review.**

**Daniel's POV**

After our little incidents, Ashleigh and I got back into our cars. I put my key in the ignition and watched as she drove away. I sat there and watched until her car completely disappeared. I didn't know why I watched her, I knew I should be getting back to the Cullens' house. But I suddenly had an overwhelming desire to know where she was going.

So, before I realised what I was doing, I was starting the car and following her.

Or should I say, trying to follow her. I drove where her car had been, but I couldn't find any trace of her. Vampires drive fast, but she couldn't be out of Washington yet. I had to find her. I just had to.

And I didn't know why.

**Ashleigh's POV**

I started to drive away, but after awhile I realised I didn't know where I was going. I didn't know where I wanted to go. I guess I was going to head back to my home in Seaham, but it just didn't feel right to me.

But why not? That's where I lived. That's where I needed to be. But for some reason, I felt like I needed to stay in Forks a little while longer.

Why? I asked myself. Why? I brought Edward back to Bella, what else did I need to do? Okay, so maybe Daniel's heart had been broken in the process of bringing Bella and Edward back together, but that wasn't my fault and I didn't need to fix it.

I couldn't fix it; I was incapable of it. He had loved Bella and I couldn't change that, just like no one could change the fact that I loved Caleb. I guess Daniel and I were just two broken creatures. We were meant to be together.

I'd meant for that thought to be sarcastic, but something happened when I thought it. I felt lighter, happier, like I knew what I was doing. And I couldn't explain it. There were so many things I couldn't explain. Confusion always got the best of me.

Well, that was melodramatic. Totally unlike me. I don't know what's wrong with me. I keep thinking things that I would never think, and feeling things that I would never feel. But then I'd return to being myself again and get confused about what just happened. It was totally mind wrecking. And I didn't 

know why I was like this. I kept on contradicting my own thoughts to the point where I didn't even know how I felt. It was exhausting and I only wished I could sleep it off.

Instead, I pulled my car over into the forest where it would be hidden from view and decided to go hunting to take my mind off things.

**Daniel's POV**

I was trying to think about where Ashleigh would go when I suddenly saw her car. It was parked in the forest, hidden from view. Humans' view, anyway.

I pulled over next to her car. She wasn't in it. She was probably hunting. And once I thought about it, I realised I needed to hunt too.

So I took off into the forest, hoping that I would see Ashleigh while I was hunting.

**Okay, I apolgise- it's very short and it's kind of a filler. I'm sorry! I suppose I'm not over my writer's block yet! But I'm not sure if it is writer's block, I mean I know what's going to happen for the story, but just getting to that part is hard. Sigh. Please just be patient with me and don't hate me and trust that I will finish this story, no matter how long it takes!**

**Don't review, I don't deserve it.**

_Thanks to the best beta ever, though she didn't read this chapter beforehand, she told me it was okay to do a filler chapter, and she's convinced me not to ditch this story! So yay for Obsessed.with.writing! You know you love her, so go check out her stories! Immediately!!_


	6. The Game of Finding Prey

**Hello! I am so sorry for the delay! I've been busy, and I haven't had any ideas…. But I know it's no excuse. I'm sorry!! Please forgive me. And thank Obsessed.with.writing for threatening to remove her account if I deleted this story. That's why it's still here and why I'm still trying.**

**Please review. And remember, ****I don't own Twilight!! X**

_--_

**Ashleigh's POV**

There it was.

Standing in the midst of the trees, looking at its prey with hungry eyes. Despite my thirst, I waited patiently while it pounced on and ate its meal.

When it was finished, it turned to walk away, but stopped when it saw me. Its eyes flashed with hunger.

I growled. It took a step back, but it still watched me carefully as if I were its prey. I stifled a laugh.

_Other way around, buddy._ I growled again. This time, the animal's eyes held fear. I smiled and pounced.

I sunk my teeth into its neck and began drinking. Warm blood rushed down my throat. I drank greedily, my senses overcome by the wonderful taste. I loved this, when all I could think about was catching my prey, enjoying it, and finding a new prey to enjoy. It was the best feeling in the world, when I couldn't think about anything in my life because I was too busy focusing on fulfilling my thirst. And yet, I managed to solve my problems best when I wasn't thinking about them.

Sometimes, I wasn't even aware that I had unsolved problems to deal with until I started hunting. Like now, for instance.

I had drained all of the blood from the wolf and turned towards the smell of deer.

**Daniel's POV**

I entered the woods to follow Ashleigh, but she was already several animals ahead. There were no animals near me to snack on, so I followed the scent of meat. I ran past several animal carcasses before finding Ashleigh. She was turning from the body of a wolf, a large wolf but not a werewolf, to a cluster of deer.

I smiled, an idea being formed in my head.

I sprang forward, attacking a doe and throwing a buck in Ashleigh's direction. I glanced at her to see surprise on her face, but she caught the buck and quickly snapped its neck before sinking her teeth in.

Though I had not been very thirsty, the delicious taste of the doe instantly gave me pleasure. I quickly drained it and turned towards where the other deer had been, wanting to feel the distinct warmth of blood gushing down my throat.

I was shocked to find that the animals were already dead.

Light laughter rang out from a distance. I grinned. She was good. She was very good.

**Ashleigh's POV**

I was surprised when a large deer came hurtling at me, but my eye caught Daniel's. He smirked. I caught the deer and rolled my eyes.

When had he entered the forest, I wondered vaguely as I drank the deer's blood.

But I didn't think for long. I drained the deer and tossed it aside. I raced towards the other deer, snapping their necks quickly before draining them one by one. I enjoyed the taste immensely, but I was also going quickly.

When I had finished, I turned to look at Daniel. He was still drinking from his prey. I smiled coyly and ran to another part of the forest. I heard him walk towards the other deer. I imagined him stopping abruptly, with a look of surprise on his face. I laughed quietly and continued running towards more prey.

I was aware of Daniel following behind me, but I knew he wouldn't be able to catch up to me. I was considering my options when I stopped dead in my tracks.

There it was.

**Daniel's POV**

I was running towards Ashleigh as fast as I could, but she was farther ahead and slightly faster.

Suddenly, I saw her.

She was stopped in front of a giant bear.

I smiled and leaped forward, my teeth coming into contact with the bear's jugular at the same time as Ashleigh's.

**Ashleigh's POV**

I found a giant bear to drink. I attacked it, my teeth aiming for its neck. Suddenly, I saw Daniel flying through the air.

My mouth found the bear. Unfortunately, so did Daniel's.

In our attempts to get to the bear first, we had reached the animal at the same time and our lips were currently against each others' and the bear.

**You're welcome. :D  
You know you love cliffies!!  
Ok, so please review!!**

_Thanks to Obsessed.with.writing, the bestestest beta I've ever had. Course, she's the only beta I've ever had. But she's the best! You should know by now that my stories would not exist without her. So go review her amazing stories! x_


	7. Unexpected

**Hi. **Ok so I'm about to leave for a mini-vaction. I'll be back on the 30th. Anyway, here is a chapter until then. And an update:  
Something messed up on my profile, and now it's completely gone and it won't let me make a new one! So argh.  
And I'm excited for Breaking Dawn! In August, I'll be going on a vacation. I'll keep you informed you you know when I'll have a big delay. Anyway, I should shut up and let you get to reading!

**Yay! A new chapter! :D Review please!**

**I don't own Twilight.**

_--_

**Ashleigh's POV**

As our lips touched, I gasped. It was unexpected. My mind told me to move back and let Daniel have the bear, but what happened next was even more unexpected.

**Daniel's POV**

My mouth made contact with the bear at the same time as Ashleigh's. Suddenly, I felt no more thirst. All I could feel were her lips partially against mine.

I heard her gasp and an overwhelming desire took over me.

I turned towards her, connecting my lips with hers completely. Before I knew exactly what I was doing, I was kissing her. And she was kissing me back.

Just then, the bear beneath us growled.

Ashleigh pulled back quickly. I opened my eyes. She was biting her lip in confusion. I stared into her eyes, wondering what she was thinking, wondering if she liked the kiss. The bear growled again, snapping me into reality.

I turned to the bear. It was standing up, growling fiercely. I shoved it into the trees. It snapped the trees in half and groaned as it hit the ground hard. I raced over to it before it could get up and snapped its neck.

I turned around to Ashleigh.

A million thoughts raced through my head. I hated that bear for interrupting us, I hated myself for kissing her, I didn't know why I did it, I couldn't figure out why I wanted to do it again, and I wondered how she felt about the whole thing.

All of these thoughts were erased from my head as I looked at her face. She looked like she was still processing what happened, but her beauty was ridiculous.

My feet moved forward, carrying me towards her. I sat down on the ground next to her with my body angled towards her. I looked at her face for a moment before leaning forward.

Our lips met again. This time, it was on purpose and I could fully feel its effects. Electricity raced through me and my lips tingled. I did not know what I was doing, or why but I knew I didn't ever want to stop.

My hands reached for her and I scooted her closer to me, knotting my fingers into her hair.

Her lips were unlike Bella's, they were cold and smooth. They also seemed more willing, which confused me since Bella and I had been together whereas I knew nothing about Ashleigh's feelings for me. Even at this very moment, I was unsure of my feelings for Ashleigh.

**Ashleigh's POV**

Daniel kissed me. For real. My lips started moving with his automatically, though my mind was screaming for him to stop. However, another part of my mind was enjoying it. I didn't knew which part of my mind was how I felt, I was still unsure of what was actually happening.

The bear underneath us growled and I pulled away automatically. I vaguely saw Daniel kill the bear and turn back to me.

I was sitting on the ground, trying to get my mind to comprehend what had happened. Daniel was walking towards me. He sat down next to me, but I was barely unaware of it. All I heard were my thoughts, yet I had no words in my head.

Suddenly, Daniel's lips were on mine again. And I was kissing him back. A burning, cold fire raced through me. My lips tingled.

Daniel pulled me closer to him and knotted his fingers in my hair. I longed to do the same to him, but as my hands reached for him, Caleb's face crossed my mind.

I pulled back suddenly and leapt to my feet. Daniel's face was astonished.

"I-I'm sorry. I have to go." I stumbled over my words as I turned and raced back through the forest to my car.

Caleb's face was still in my mind.

What had I done?

**Daniel's POV**

I watched as Ashleigh ran away.

I was shocked. I hadn't expected her to do that.

What had I expected her to do? I don't know. I hadn't expected myself to kiss her, so I certainly couldn't have expected her to kiss me back.

And I had just been rejected by Bella, what was I thinking? Ashleigh's luscious blonde hair, stunning topaz eyes, and perfectly pouted lips, that's what I was thinking.

She was beautiful. Gorgeous. But that was no reason to like her. I was attracted to her of course, but I barely knew her. How could I have kissed her? I didn't even know if she had a boyfriend. It was an utterly stupid act.

And yet, I did not regret it.

**Well I hope you like it! I'm sorry it was so short. That seems to be all I can write now. Bleh.**

**So please review!**

_Big thanks to my beta, Obsessed.with.writing! Again, I say: my stories would not exist anymore without her! Give her lots and lots of nice reviews!_


	8. Painful Memories

**Hello! I finally have a chapter. Yay. And it's longer! Yay! Ok so, Breaking Dawn finally came out! Big yay!! :D  
I'll work on my stories as much as I can, but I'm in college (sort of.) I'm going on a vacation on August 15****th****, and I'm not allowed to bring my laptop. ******** But I will bring a notebook in case of ideas. So yeah, thanks for being patient!  
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Just Daniel.**

**Please review!!**

**Ashleigh's POV**

I couldn't believe it. Daniel and I just kissed.

We kissed. Each other. On the mouth. At first, by accident. But, then he kissed me again. Why? Why would he kiss me on purpose? Why did I like it? I can't like it. No.

He shouldn't have kissed me. It was a horrible thing to do. I shouldn't have kissed him back, that's even worse.

Oh, I can't believe what I've just done! What is wrong with me?

Thoughts pounded through my head as I raced back to my car. Once I reached my car, I threw the door open and hopped in, turning the key in the ignition. I sped off without bothering to put my seatbelt on. I was in too much of a hurry to get away.

When I reached the highway, I put my seatbelt on, but I did not slow down. I was eager to get to the airport. I needed to get to the airport. I needed to go home. I needed to never think about Forks again. I needed to sob tearlessly and hate myself for kissing Daniel. I needed to convince myself that I did not enjoy the kiss at all. I loved Caleb. I couldn't run around kissing other vampires that I barely knew. My unbeating heart would always belong to Caleb.

But it was so unexpected, so random. How did it happen?

I was hunting in the forest by myself, taking my mind off things. Then he came along, and we sort of made a game about hunting. It was fun, I had to admit to myself. I hadn't had that much fun in decades. But then, we dove for the bear at the exact same time. So, our lips touched. Didn't mean it had to be a kiss. But Daniel sat down next to me and kissed me. Why? Why would he do that? He had just gotten rejected by Bella. And there was no way I was nearly as pretty as her. The only person who had ever thought I was beautiful was Caleb. And he was the only one I was attracted to.

_Except Daniel._

The thought startled me. I didn't think he was attractive.

_Yes, I do._

I sighed. I was contradicting my own thoughts. But somewhere deep inside of me, I knew that I liked him. I just couldn't figure out why.

Oh, sure, he's beautiful. And his lips feel good. And the way he looks at me, with those soft golden eyes. The sound of his voice, his laughter…

No! All vampires are like that, Ashleigh! Get a grip! He's just a regular old vampire. No more special than the rest, certainly no more special than Caleb.

Ah, Caleb. How I missed him.

But, if I had been the one to die, would he have spent his life in misery? Or would he find someone else to love?

No, I cannot think like that. Caleb wouldn't have found someone, and neither will I! I will not taint his memory by loving another.

I simply will not do it.

I will get to the airport, get on a plane, go back home, and forget that all of this happened. Yes. That sounds good.

I will forget about Daniel. I will forget about his good looks, his smooth lips, his infectious laughter. I will forget about it. My heart is Caleb's.

_He's not using it, Ashleigh_, said a small voice inside my head.

No! Either way, I will not allow myself to love Daniel. I will not allow it.

_How are you going to keep yourself from doing that?_

I will stop thinking about him, darnit! I will only remember and love Caleb.

_If you're going to stop thinking about him, why is he always in your mind?_

He's not.

_Admit it, Ashleigh. You love him._

No! I growled. Shut up, just shut up! I don't, I won't, I can't! I just can't! I can't do that to Caleb!

A sob escaped from my throat. I wish I had tears.

_Aww, maybe then Daniel could wipe them away. Too bad you're denying that __you love him__._

I ignored the stupid voice in my head. It was not right. And I was too busy to care. Tremors rocked though my body. I was sobbing loudly, cutting off my oxygen supply and making my chest hurt.

Why? Why did I have to go through this? Why did Daniel have to kiss me? Why did I like it? Why did Caleb have to die? Why did I have to betray him with every thought that I was thinking?

I tried to calm myself down as I saw the sign for the airport. I could fall apart once I was home.

I winced. No, I could fall apart on the plane.

I gulped in deep breaths, trying to calm my sobbing. I raced the car into a parking spot, smiling about the irony of it being the same day that I rented it. Not that rental fees bothered me. Still, it was funny.

I returned the car to the rental station and headed towards the ticket counter. My anguish returned when I found out that the next flight to England wasn't until evening tomorrow. Why were all my life-changing flights scheduled for the next day?

I bought a first class ticket and sat down one a chair, hoping that I could keep it together until it was time for the flight.

Deep breathing eventually stopped working, so I pulled out my iPod, putting it on shuffle.

Soothing piano filled my ears as 'Running Away' started playing. I sighed. I loved this song.

Suddenly, images shot through my head like a slideshow, or a flashback in a movie.

I was listening to this song, but at another airport, impatiently waiting to stop Edward; I was pulling him from the clock tower; we were racing towards Forks; pulling up into his driveway; watching Daniel as I told the Cullens how I saved Edward; Edward and Bella leaving; Daniel's face, watching mine; Bella telling Daniel she didn't want him; the way he looked surprisingly comfortable with the fact; us falling onto the ground in the woods; chasing after animals; our mouths touching the bear at the same time; him sitting next to me, his lips drawing closer…

I snapped my eyes open. I yanked the earbuds out of my ear, shoving my iPod carelessly into my pocket. Now it was Caleb's face that filled my mind. All the time we spent together, the way he sacrificed himself for me, the pained look I imagined him giving me whenever I thought of Daniel.

A sob caught in my throat as I raced towards the bathroom. I figured I would have more privacy in there, and there was no way I could keep myself from falling apart until tomorrow.

I slammed myself into a stall, sinking down to sit on the toilet, and cried.

**Ok tell me what you thought of this chapter!**

_Big thanks to my beta, Obsessed.with.writing!  
I cannot say how good she is. She writes amazing stories, helps me with mine, deals with my craziness, misses me when I'm gone, talks until midnight, reviews my every chapter, and doesn't hate me. Wow. That takes effort. ____ x_


	9. A Realisation That Could Change Lives

**So sorry it took me so long to update! I wrote part of this and then lost inspiration and so I forced myself to write the rest today (gave myself a new idea for the next few chapters though so yay!) Sorry if this sucks!! Please review!!**

**You must know, I'm going on vacation on Friday and I'll be gone for a week, and then I'll be super busy when I get back…. So I won't have any updates for awhile. Sorry. I'll bring my notebook with me so if I get ideas, I can write them. But yeah…. I'll update as soon as I can after I get back!! X**

**DiSCLAiMER: I do not own twilight. Stephenie Meyer does. I own this plot, with help from Obsessed.with.writing! I also own the character of Daniel. I own a really cool iPod dock. I love it. Music is amazing. It's how the Thief was written, mainly! Lol. Ok shutting up now….. Don't forget to review!!**

**Daniel's POV**

I sat on the ground, dumbfounded, watching as Ashleigh ran away.

Part of me itched to get up and run after her, but my body wouldn't move.

_Let her go. She needs to be alone and think._

Thank you very much, o great conscience.

_You're very welcome._

I sighed.

Why did I kiss her? Why did she run away? Why did I care? I had just gotten rejected by Bella. Shouldn't I feel heartbroken or something? Why is it that I'm thinking of Ashleigh and smiling instead of thinking of Bella and frowning?

I knew Edward would find Bella sooner or later, I had just hoped it wouldn't happen. But now, it doesn't matter, because Bella belongs with him and not me and that doesn't upset me. It should upset me. I shouldn't have followed Ashleigh, I should have gone somewhere to cry. Tearless, of course, but still. I was with Bella and then she ditched me for Edward. Why am I not sad about this?

Why am I complaining about not being sad? Shouldn't I be happy that I'm happy?

But that's just it. I shouldn't be happy. There's no reason for me to be happy. Normal people would not be happy after getting dumped. I knew it, but I barely even thought about that. All I could think of was Ashleigh.

And what is that supposed to mean? Why am I thinking about her? Her sparkling eyes, her long and beautiful hair, her wonderful voice, the way she looks at me, the feel of her lips against mine…

Do I like her?

Yes, I answered myself right away.

But… How? When?

Wait a minute. Why did she run away from me? Surely I couldn't have startled her. Not the second time, anyway. And I wasn't too pushy or anything. I don't even know what I was. I didn't know what I was doing until I was doing it. I had no idea I was going to kiss her. All I knew was that I wanted to. Except, I didn't even know that. Not in so many words, anyway.

Maybe she doesn't like me.

That must be it. Maybe she never intended to take Edward back to Bella. Maybe she wanted him. Then why would she take him back to Forks? It doesn't make sense.

Suddenly, realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

I had been rejected. Twice.

And I only cared about the rejection of one of them.

_Good job, Daniel. Now what are you going to do about that fact?_

I sighed. I don't know.

_Yes, you do. You know what you're going to do. Why aren't you doing it?_

No, I do not know what I'm going to do! That's what I'm thinking about!

_Think all you want. But you already know what you've decided._

And I don't suppose you're going to tell me?

The voice in my head was quiet. Yeah. I figured it would be like that. Why is it that I can annoy myself to no end with my conflicting thoughts, but I can't tell myself what I apparently already know?

_Maybe it's not that I'm not telling you, it's that you don't want to hear it._

Don't want to hear what!?

_What you're planning to do._

And just what exactly is that!?

More silence. I groaned in frustration. Not only can I not tell myself what I'm going to go, but I sound like a crazy person! Voices in my head and whatnot.

_It's your voice, Daniel._

Just shut up.

I pressed my fingers to my temples and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to concentrate. It wasn't working. I sighed and hauled myself off the ground, heading to my car. It was a long and slow walk, but I wasn't in the mood for running.

On my way to my car, I compared Bella and Ashleigh in my mind. Ashleigh was more suited for me, being a vampire and all, but it wasn't like I had problems with Bella's blood. I didn't even like blood that much, I only needed it to keep from deteriorating.

I had loved Bella, right? I mean, I said I love you. And I never thought I didn't mean it. But if I meant it, wouldn't I be extremely heartbroken that she had chosen Edward over me?

Of course, she belonged to him first. I really was only a placeholder, someone to keep her from falling apart when he left. And then knowing that he left because of me, well of course she was going to dump me on the side of the road without a moment's hesitance. That's not what she did, though. She was nice about it. I could tell she was afraid of hurting me. But I knew it would happen if Edward came back.

I suppose it's a good thing Ashleigh stopped him from exposing himself to Volterra and made him come back.

But why was I glad about that? Those actions had caused Bella to break up with me.

And they enabled me to meet Ashleigh.

Was that why I was happy? But why would I be? Why should I be? Why did I have to question everything? Why did everything need questioning? Why couldn't things just be the way they are, without complaints?

I had to laugh at myself for thinking that. Was I really hoping that life would be perfect? After all, I was stuck trying to decide who I loved. A girl I had spent time with who had rejected me, or a girl I wanted to spend time with who had also rejected me?

But Ashleigh didn't really reject me. My kiss threw her off guard, surprised her. It was a dumb move, and I knew that. But she had kissed me back. Sort of, anyway.

And it was amazing. It wasn't passionate at all, more like hesitant and unthinking, but it was great. Her lips were unlike Bella's. Bella's were soft and warm, whereas Ashleigh's were smooth and almost cold. I couldn't tell whose lips I enjoyed more. I had kissed Bella more often than I had Ashleigh, but I could always feel an underlying hesitance in Bella's somewhat passionate kisses, like she didn't really want to kiss me.

My realisation caught me off guard. I had always known there was something different about her kisses, but I had never identified it until now. Maybe it was a good thing I had never realised before now, since now I had someone else to love, rather than pine over Bella.

Wait a minute. Love?

Did I love Ashleigh?

I barely had time to ask myself that question before I was answering it.

Yes. Yes I do.

But when did this happen? Two minutes ago, I was shocked to discover that I liked her. And now I loved her?!

_You got it._

I sighed. But what did this mean? She ran away from me. I never got a chance to talk to her for real, tell her about my past, ask about hers, look into her eyes and say the words, nothing…

And then I knew what I was going to do.

I was going to chase after her.

**Yay. I hope this chapter was long enough. I really wanted to stop at the line "And I only cared about the rejection of one of them." For a good cliffie, but that would have been too short! So I hope you liked this! Please review!!**

**And remember, I go on vacation this Friday and I won't be back for a week or more. So, sorry! Updates will not be coming soon. ******

_Thanks to my amazing beta, Obsessed.with.writing! Don't miss me too much. ____ I better have at least 3 documents from you when I get back. Lol. Kidding. Send me whatever you have._

Oy. I'm going to have a lot of email when I get back. Lol.


	10. A Visit and A Race

**I'm sorry for my lack of updates! I was in Canada, and then I was busy, and then I was lazy. Sorry!  
Please don't punish me. Please review. Hehe.**

**I'm bringing the Cullens back in this chapter! Yay.**

**I don't own Twilight. (PLEASE WRITE MIDNIGHT SUN, STEPHENIE MEYER!) (Readers, go to my profile for a link to a petition for Midnight Sun! And vote in my poll if you want me to write a new story)**

**Daniel's POV**

Except, of course, I had no idea where she might have gone.

I groaned in frustration. Where would I start? Should I drive in the direction her car was facing when I first found her?

No, I told myself. That would just waste time. Instead of driving all round Washington to see where she is, I'll go see if she stopped at the Cullens', and if not, maybe they'll know. Edward might know. They seemed to be pretty close. Well, sort of.

But wait! What if that was it? What if she went back to the Cullens' because she liked Edward?

That would suck, I admitted to myself as I started driving towards the Cullens' house.  
I sure hope that's not the case.

I rolled my eyes at myself. I couldn't possibly hope that she would like me. It was obvious that she didn't, and if I tried to convince myself that she did, I would just end up getting hurt.

Not that I can't deal with a little pain, but still. There was no point in setting myself up for disaster.

At least that's what I kept telling myself throughout the short car ride, but the image of her face cancelled out any common sense I might've had.

It wasn't until I was turning the bend towards the Cullens' house that I realised that it might be awkward to be there.

Oh well. I needed to find Ashleigh.

I parked in the driveway and headed up to the front door hesitantly yet eagerly.

I didn't even have time to knock before Esme opened the door.

Her face was surprised, but happy.

"Daniel. We didn't expect to see you anytime soon. Please come in, dear." She smiled warmly at me and gestured me inside. I smiled back and walked in.

I was immediately met by Edward who smiled gratefully at me. Bella was close beside him, but she hovered behind, slightly uncomfortable.

"I didn't get a chance to thank you, Daniel." Edward's eyes bore into mine, strongly conveying the message he was trying to send.

I was startled. "Thank me? For what?"

"For letting Bella go so easily, for letting me have her back in my arms again. You have no idea what I was going through without her with me. I am so glad to be with her again, and I thank you for handing her over so relentlessly."

Edward's words were kind enough, but something pricked a nerve inside me.

"Hold on a minute. Let's get something straight here. Bella is a human, a person. Not an object that you asked me to hold for a bit, only for me to give back to you when you were ready. She chose to go back to you, for what reason I do not know. You hurt her, Edward. Multiple times, I've heard.  
Nonetheless, it was her choice to go back to you, and she made it. She loves you, Edward. There was never any question about who meant more to her. I was simply there to keep her from falling apart completely because you left her." I put emphasis on my last three words, earning a wince from Edward.

"I agree with you, it was her choice. But I realise she wasn't the only person involved in the relationship, and I didn't want any hard feelings between us. I also know that I hurt her by leaving, and for that I will be forever remorseful. I know that I could never deserve her love or forgiveness, but I am undeniably happy that I seem to have it." He smiled at her and she smiled back.

Then I remembered the reason why I was there.

"Do any of you know where Ashleigh was headed? Or where she is?"

Edward failed to see the worry behind my question, he thought I was simply wondering.

" No, but when you see her again, will you thank her for bringing me back to Bella?"

I sighed at his ignorance. "Sure. But I don't know when I'll see her again, or even if. We were hunting in the forest, and she just ran away." I left out the kiss.  
"And I don't know why. I want to find out where she might be."

Edward looked confused.

"I haven't heard from her since she left here and you followed. Sorry, Daniel. I have no clue where she might be."

"Seaham," a voice gasped. We all turned in the sound of the voice.

Alice was making her way down the stairs, with Jasper following slowly behind.

"She's going on a plane back to Seaham," Alice clarified. Then her eyes went blank.

"Alice? What was that?" Edward hissed. Jasper rushed to Alice's side, looking worried.

"I-I don't know. I couldn't see, I couldn't tell. Whatever it is, it's not good." Alice looked startled and concerned.

"Her vision was filled with pain," Jasper spoke softly, eyes still on Alice.

"There were other emotions, but I couldn't tell what they were. They were faint, overwhelmed by the pain." He turned to look at me.

"If you care about this girl, you should go to the airport now." I would have blushed if I could. I'd thought I was hiding the fact that I cared about her very well.

"Yes," Alice agreed. "I see the plane landing early. It was supposed to land tomorrow morning, but someone's plans changed."

"How much time do I have?" My voice sounded strained because of the stress. What could be causing Ashleigh pain? And how could I stop it?

"An hour."

I didn't know what everyone else's reactions were. I was already halfway to my car.

**Meh. A slight cliffie. Ok, maybe more than slight. And I didn't write some things that I wanted to write. Oh well. I might get back to them later. Ehh.**

**Please review!!**

_Although I did not give her a chance to beta this chapter before posting it, big thanks go to my beta Obsessed.with.writing! She's the best beta. (And the best betaee) Lol. Review her stories. Unless you want me to kill you with my bootle. Oh yes, a lethal weapon. xD_


	11. How to Find a Miracle

**Sorry for not updating. I've been busy. Make writing worth my while and REVIEW!!**

**Also, I NEED MORE VOTES ON MY POLL!! I would really like to have the winning vote be won by a large amount, so I know the option is the best… So please vote!! It's for a new story!!**

**And, fanfiction has been messing up so I can't edit my profile. It's so annoying. Hopefully I'll get editing abilities back soon.**

**Ok, you know the drill. I do own Twilight, because I am a frickin smart genius and I dreamed up the characters and wrote about them. Because I'm just cool like that. :)  
Oh, wait?? My name isn't Stephenie Meyer? Shiz. Ok.  
I don't own Twilight!! Sorry for the confusion!! xD**

**I also don't own the song, which is 'Miracle' by paramore**

…**Review… But only if you love Twilight…**

**Ashleigh's POV**

I don't know how much time passed before I calmed down, but I finally did.

I stopped my tearless sobbing, suddenly embarrassed about how many people heard and what they thought. Then I realised, I didn't care. I was going through so much in my life, who gives a dying duck what people think about my emotional breakdown?

I pulled my composure together and exited the bathroom. It was now just after midnight. Sigh. Only about 6 more hours until my flight.

Suddenly, a thought struck me. What if I didn't want to go home?

I mean, obviously I was running away, that was the only option. But who said I had to go home? Wouldn't it just make everything worse?

I blinked. Well, crap. What was I going to do now?

Ugh. I don't want to deal with this right now. Of course, now is the time to deal with it. I rolled my eyes at myself. It can be dealt with later.

I pulled out my iPod, my only source of comfort these days, and selected shuffle. The music of paramore filled my ears and I walked over to an airport chair, leaning back and closing my eyes, letting the music soothe me.

_I've gone for too long living like I'm not alive  
So I'm gonna start over tonight, beginning with you and I  
When this memory fades, I'm gonna make sure it's replaced  
With chances taken, hope embraced, and have I told you?_

_I'm not going cause I've been waiting for a Miracle  
And I'm not leaving.  
I won't let you, let you give up on a Miracle  
When it might save you._

_We've learned to run from anything uncomfortable  
We've tied our pain below, and no one ever has to know  
That inside, we're broken. I try to patch things up again,  
To count my tears and kill these fears, but have I told you? Have I?_

_I'm not going cause I've been waiting for a Miracle  
And I'm not leaving.  
I won't let you, let you give up on a Miracle  
When it might save you._

_Oh, it might save you.  
It's not faith if, if you use your eyes  
Oh, why?  
We'll get it right this time  
Let's leave this all behind  
Oh, why?  
We'll get it right this time!  
It's not faith if you're using your eyes!  
Oh, why?_

_I've gone for too long, living like I'm not alive  
So I'm gonna start over tonight, beginning with you and  
I don't want to run from anything uncomfortable  
I just want, no, I just need this pain to end right here._

_I'm not going cause I've been waiting for a Miracle  
And I'm not leaving.  
I won't let you, let you give up on a Miracle  
When it might save you._

_Yeah, it might save you  
Oh, it might save you_

_It's not faith if, if you use your eyes  
If you use your eyes, if you use your eyes_

The song ended and I realised exactly how much it related to me.

I seemed to be trying to start over with Daniel, to erase my painful memories of Caleb. But at the same time, I wasn't going to forget him.

It seemed as if maybe, just maybe, Daniel held the key to my happiness. I had been broken for so long, could he be my Miracle? Could he be the one to save me from all my despair, the tears that I'll never cry, the life that was left behind?

If so, I couldn't leave. Not now. I need to find my Miracle.

Somewhere in between relating the song to my life, I realised that I was in love with Daniel.

And so I opened my eyes to see…

My Miracle.

**Hahahaha a short chapter AND a cliffie! I am so evil!  
Well, I don't feel bad about it. Because I get 5 reviews or less for each chapter, and I know I have more readers than that (thanks to fanfictions' Reader Traffic xD)  
So what the Hale are you doing?! Hit the Review button!! It's honestly not that hard!! I promise you.**

**Please.**

**Oh, another thing I forgot to tell you…. If you don't review, I will stop writing this story. No, I'll make one more chapter in which every character dies. And I will do the same to all of my other fics, because they get the same amount of reviews. **

**-innocent smile- Press that bloody button.**

_Big thanks go to my beta, Obsessed.with.writing!! SHE REVIEWS EVERY CHAPTER!! ily :)  
Yay for sitting in the dark!! It'sz emomazing! _


	12. Crushing Rubber and Metal

**Yay for staying up until midnight-thirty writing a chapter!! Yay I tell you!!**

**Ok, so I tried to make this chapter longer. And I should be getting to the main plot twist soon, so hopefully those chapters will be long as well. Sorry for all the fillers and sorry for all the fillers I will have to write.**

**Please review! You know I love it when you do!  
(That was supposed to rhyme)**

**Disclaimer: OMT!! My half-birthday is October 18****th****!! Which means 6 more months until I turn 17, and then I can own the rights to Twilight!! Until then, no I don't own it. Gah, life sucks.**

**Ashleigh's POV**

Somewhere in between relating the song to my life, I realised that I was in love with Daniel.

And so I opened my eyes to see…

My Miracle.

The very second I saw him, before I could even think, I had launched myself out of my chair and flung myself at him, hugging him tightly.

His arms wrapped around me quickly, pulling me closer to him. I buried my face into his neck and continued hugging him.  
I had no idea why I did it, other than the fact that I had realised I was in love with him, but I was too busy to be embarrassed. All I knew is that I was hugging Daniel, my miracle, my reason to continue existing, my reason to love again.

I pulled back slightly to look at his face. His arms never loosened their grip, and neither did mine.

I had only stared into his beautiful topaz eyes for a fraction of a second before my mouth was on his and I was kissing him.

It was wonderful. His scent was breathtaking, his lips were soft and smooth yet hard and passionate, his hair felt so good intertwined in my fingers, everything about him was perfect.

Suddenly, I realised what I was doing and pulled my face away from his. I swear I could feel a blush on my cheeks, though that was impossible.

"Sorry." My voice cracked nervously. "I-I don't know why I did tha-" He shut me up my placing his lips on mine and pulling me closer to him.

"I'm glad you did," he murmured softly around my lips. I entwined my fingers into his hair once again and sighed. Life was amazing right now. Everything was perfect, and nothing had a reason to not be perfect. Misery didn't exist. I loved life; I loved Daniel.

"I love you," I sighed before I could stop myself.

Daniel froze, his arms locked around me with enough force to give me bruises had I been human.

"I love you too." There was so much emotion in his voice, but I didn't have time to determine what emotions they were before his lips were on mine again, kissing me more passionately than before.

I thought that I was going to fall over. Whether it was from falling in love head over heels, or from the force and emotion of the kiss, I wasn't sure. Either way, I was surprised that I hadn't keeled over. I was still standing. Standing with Daniel, kissing him.

"Flight 38-D to England is now boarding. Flight 38-D to England." A loud, nasaly voice from the speakers interrupted my bliss.

"Is that your flight?" Daniel asked me. We were now staring into each others' eyes, arms still locked around each other.

"I'm not going," I answered with a dazed smile. Truth was, I barely knew what was going on. All I wanted to do was spend the rest of my life kissing Daniel.  
Well, it didn't matter what we were doing, as long as I was with him.

"You mean to tell me that I drove all the way here, bought a ticket, and found you, just to learn that you're not going?" He smiled.

"Y-You bought a ticket?" I was dumbfounded.

"Well of course. I wasn't going to let you fly to England without me." His tone and his smirk were teasing, but his eyes blazed with emotion and I could see the truth and determination behind his words.

"B-But… You were going to follow me? To England? I… Why?" Oh, come on! I can't even speak coherently! Ugh.

"Because that's where you were going," he answered simply. I suppose I just gave him a blank look because he smiled before continuing.

"After that kiss in the forest, I realised something, Ashleigh. I realised that I was in love with you. Ever since I saw you, I was intrigued and dumfounded by your beauty. But I had never realised that I loved you. Once I realised it, I wasn't just going to let you run off to some country. I needed to at least know that you were alright. And I knew I had to tell you I loved you, but if you hadn't feel the same, and I was expecting that you wouldn't, then I would have backed off." His lips brushed mine gently.

"But you don't know how happy it made me to hear you say that you love me."

"I-I do. I do love you. And I only realised it a few minutes ago. Right before you came." I smiled.

"And you don't know how happy it made me to hear you say that you love me, too." He grinned and rolled his eyes at my copying of his words.

"Do you still not want to go?"

I pondered. I was set on going back to Seaham and resuming my life, but now I had Daniel. Did I want to stay in Forks though?

It would be nice to have a familiar place again, and I could show Daniel everything about me and my life, but what did he want to do?

"I don't know. If you're going, I'll go but if you want to stay in Forks, I'll stay too."

"I don't care. As long as I'm with you. I'm thinking it would be more comfortable for you to be back home, but if you want to stay in Forks, then I'm up for that too." He winced slightly.

"Although, we'd probably have to stay with the Cullens, and I don't know how that would-" I cut him off, he didn't need to explain.

"Ok, then we're going to Seaham." I smiled at him.

"Last call for flight 38-D to England. Flight 38-D to England." The speak voice boomed again.

Daniel smiled at me.

"Shall we?" I let go of my hold on him and turned to walk towards the boarding station. He wrapped his arm around my waist and walked with me.

We handed our tickets to the flight attendant and boarded the plane. Several passengers raised their eyebrows at our lack of luggage, but no one said anything.

Lucky for us, the aisle that had my seat number on it was empty, so Daniel was able to sit next to me.

I took the window seat, hoping he wouldn't mind but also unwilling to give it to him if he did. Fortunately for me, he didn't seem to mind. Although I'm pretty sure if he had minded, I would've given it to him anyway.

We sat in silence until the plane was in the air completely and the 'Fasten Seatbelts' sign was unlit. I unfastened my seatbelt. Those things were horribly uncomfortable.

Daniel raised his eyebrow at me.

"If the plane suddenly crashes, you'll wish you had that on."

I rolled my eyes at him. Silly vampire. I was about to say that out loud when I stopped. Maybe his mind was still set on Bella. Maybe he momentarily forgot that I wasn't human.

Biting my lip, I stole a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. He was staring at me with the hint of a smile on his face. I was suddenly self-conscious. I squirmed in my seat, causing the elbow rest to jab into my side. It didn't hurt my granite skin, but it was annoying. I shifted to the right and glared at the offending piece of rubber-covered metal.

Daniel stifled a laugh and placed his hand on the elbow rest. Suddenly, it was not there and I faintly smelled the scent of burning rubber. It was too faint for a human to notice.

He made a fist with his hand and then opened it, showing me the miniscule pieces of rubber and metal that was once the elbow rest.

I smiled. He had obliterated what was annoying me. It was such a sweet gesture, even if I was able to do it myself.

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes slightly, a smile still on my lips.

"You're welcome. But it was a purely selfish act." He grinned and wrapped his arm around me, scooting me across the seats so that I was sitting in the middle of our two seats- right where the elbow rest had been- and was leaning against him.

I was surprised at first, but I snuggled into him, feeling like I belonged there.

"Be selfish more often, would you please?" I almost laughed out loud at how cheesy that sounded.

"It would be my pleasure." He put his finger on my chin and tilted it up towards him and kissed me.

I sighed softly, turning my body slightly so it was easier to kiss him and pull my fingers through his hair.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer, making me turn towards him again. We didn't stop kissing until I realised that I was in his lap.

I squeaked in embarrassment and returned to my seat, again feeling like I was blushing but knowing that I wasn't.

Daniel's lips pressed together tightly as he suppressed a laugh. A laugh that I was sure would be loud and oh so beautiful.

I bit my lip and gave him a wary look.

He picked me up and placed me in his lap again. Before I could protest, his lips were on mine and my hands were once again in his hair. I traced his face with my fingers occasionally, but allowed my fingers to enjoy roaming his hair. His hands rubbed my back, sometimes up and down, sometimes in circles. Occasionally, he would press me closer to him, which would make me sigh and cause him to smile.

When the plane hit turbulence, I was forced to sit in my seat again and put on the stupid seatbelt.

But it gave me time to think about him and think about how we got to this point.

It really blew my mind.

I saved Edward, brought him back to Forks, met Daniel, embarrassed myself several times, went hunting with Daniel, decided to return home, realised I loved Daniel, and then kissed him. Now we were on the way to Seaham, where I would show him where I lived and tell him about my life. But what would happen next?

Would Daniel actually continue loving me? If so, what would we do?

Would we get married? Would we not? Would we stay in Seaham? Would I tell him about Caleb? Could I let myself forget about Caleb and the past and focus on Daniel and the future? Could I love Daniel while I still loved Caleb? Would Daniel mind? Did he still love Bella? Would he tell me if he did? What would I do if he did? Would I mind?

All the questions were beginning to stress me out, and I didn't want to voice them to Daniel yet so I shoved them into the back of my mind and spent the rest of the flight talking to Daniel.

We mostly talked about unimportant things. What car I had, our favourite colours, our favourite music, etc…

The real questions that I had could wait for later.

In the meantime, I enjoyed being with him and enjoyed the fact that I had found love again. Losing my first love was tragic, and life had finally been restored to me. Yay.

**Haha, crappy ending I know. Sorry. I hope this chapter was long enough for you! And I hope you liked it!  
Please review!!  
(Kate is still here, waiting to poke those who do not review.)**

_The namesake and character base for Ashleigh in this story is none other than my incredible beta, Obsessed.with.writing!! Chyeah, I'm also a character in one of her stories. Go read and review them all to find out which one I'm in!! Mwaahaha… (Oh, and we both write The Truth Behind The Stories… you should check it out if you enjoy laughing until you cry, puke, pee, choke, or die.) xD_

_Ashleigh… I'm sorry I haven't let you beta in a long time! I'm just so excited to post!! Haha. Especially now, since it's been FOREVER since I updated this!_


	13. Author's Note I'm sorry!

**Ok, I hate posting ANs as chapters but I just need to explain why I haven't updated.**

**I've been really busy. Like really busy. And my mom recently decided that I was only going to be on the computer for 2 hours everyday…. Which is no time at all, considering all the email I get, and then writing, and just blehhh.**

**So there's that and then there's the fact that I've been experiencing some Writer's Block. (I HATE IT)**

**But, I have been working on a chapter of Finding The Light In The Black, and it's almost done, and it's also the last chapter… Which I totally wasn't planning on; I had no clue when I was ending the story. But yeah… One or two more chapters for that and I'm done!**

**I've been working on Guilt Ridden and Love Lost the most, but I'm at the hard part now, where I have to do a lot of stuff, mostly character development stuff that involves ideas I don't have, before I can get to my main plot. So that's just difficult… Cause I wanna write GOOD chapters and not fillers.**

**And then Weirder Than Fiction is hardly ever updated. I apologise.**

**Ashleigh and I do have some The Truth Behind The Stories chapters waiting….But do you know how hard it is to compile them? DO YOU!? Haha…. Anyway…. I think that's all the stories I have.**

**So yeah…. I want to try to update before November, because November is National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) and I need to focus on that A LOT.**

**But I don't know.**

**So, I'm really really really sorry for my lack of updates and lack of brain (my brain is on auction for Kellan's hat, so that's why) and this state of no updates is going to continue for longer than I would like it to. I am so sorry. Just know that I haven't abandoned my fics. Not at all!**

**Again, sorry. I'll work when I can and as much as I can. Forgive me please and don't hate me!**

**(:**


	14. Crazy Woman

**Sorry for not updating in forever! You know how it goes: writer's block, NaNoWriMo, writer's block….  
Anyway, I was complaining to Ashleigh about not being able to write this and she was all simple and then I got ideas, so I writed them. Yes I said writed and no I don't mean wrote.  
I had no clue it was going to be this long but I hope the length makes up for the lack of updates, haha just kidding.**

**Review and remember that I do not own Twilight but I do own Daniel.**

**Ashleigh's POV**

After the airport landed, Daniel and I got into my car (which I had left at the airport when I flew to Forks) and rode to my house in Seaham. I was a little bit nervous about showing him my house, and I wasn't sure if he was expecting to stay there or in a hotel. I would gladly let him stay at my house, of course, but if I said it and he was planning on staying in a hotel then would it seem too forward or something? Sigh.

When we started to pass Café Crème, I pointed it out to Daniel and told him that was where I worked. He looked at it and turned back to me.

"Why do you work there? I mean, you could clearly have a higher job with greater pay." I looked at him in surprise. I hadn't expected a question like that. "No offense," he added quickly.

"Um. I've never really thought about it, I guess. I like having a low key job, though. And you have to remember that I wasn't into interacting with vampires, so I led the most human life possible. Plus, it gave me more time to be alone, which I like. D." I added the 'd' to make a past tense as an afterthought, realising that I had not yet adapted to the fact that I would not be alone now, and not knowing if I liked the change or not. If Daniel had noticed, he did not comment on it.

"How come you didn't want to interact with vampires?" We were almost to my house by now. I thought in silence for awhile. I don't know if I was ready to tell Daniel about Caleb. I'm not sure I could handle it yet.

"I… Just needed distance from them. That happens when you love one but hate the rest." My last sentence was spoken bitterly and I mentally cursed myself for saying it, for now Daniel would surely ask questions. To my surprise, he didn't. Of course, we were at my house by then.

My house looked kind of like the kind you would find in the suburbs, but it was secluded. There were other houses on the street, but they weren't close together at all. And I had the house that was farthest away from them; when the street and the houses had been built, someone made a mathematical error which made the lawn to my house bigger than the rest, thus distancing me from the neighbors. I suppose it was sort of pathetic, and showed how much of a loner I was, but I really was so I didn't care.

I parked my Eclipse in front of the house and dug around the backseat, looking for my house keys. Daniel had gotten out of the car and was standing in front of the lawn, looking at my house silently. Suddenly I remembered that I hadn't brought my keys with me, I left them in my hiding place on the porch. I laughed and shut my car, going up to Daniel.

"What's funny?" He smiled a bit.

"I was looking around in my car for my keys like an idiot when I realised that I didn't bring them." I rolled my eyes at myself. Daniel laughed slightly but looked curious.

"If you don't have your keys, how will we get into your house?"

"Oh, they're hidden inside the light bulb on my porch. The light fixture broke a long time ago, and I never fixed it. Putting a key underneath the 'welcome' mat is too predictable, and I don't have a 'welcome' mat, so I made a hole in the light bulb and put my key inside of it. Very handy. Plus the fact that I never have a porch light on keeps my neighbors from visiting, or whatever." As I talked, we walked up my yard and to my porch where I retrieved the key from its hiding place and unlocked the door. We stepped into the dark house and I hurried to flip on all the lights.

"So, you're very reclusive, then." Daniel commented.

"Well, I was. But it's not like I had any friend to visit my house anyway. But I've realised that I've kind of missed the company of fellow vampires." I smiled at him. It wasn't fair, I really loved being around Daniel because I loved him, but my dead heart still ached for Caleb. I hadn't talked to any vampires after Caleb's death until Edward came into Café Crème. And I certainly hadn't loved anyone else since then, much less another vampire. On one hand, I was afraid. Afraid that Daniel would disappear too, afraid that I was betraying Caleb. But on the other hand, I was ready to start a new life, a life resembling the one I used to have, when I was never alone and I had someone to love and love me back. The question was: could I go back to that life quickly and without mistake after being solitary for so long?

After I flipped all the lights on, I gave Daniel a mini-tour. After the hallway from entering the house, there was my living room. It was pretty much barren, with just a couch and a television set. DVDs and magazines were scattered all over the place, somehow never making it onto the coffee table or tv desk.  
I smiled embarrassingly and showed Daniel the kitchen.

"I have dishes in this cabinet over here, and then I use the other cabinets for storage. Don't ask me what's in each one, because I really don't know. I swear I use my kitchen as a desk, for all the crap that I have nowhere else to put. The fridge and freezer are, of course, empty. Except for the blood I keep in there for when I'm too lazy to hunt." I smiled at him.

"You keep blood?"

"Yes, sometimes I bring a container with me when I go hunting and I collect blood to store in case I don't have the time to hunt, or in emergencies. Or when I'm too lazy, of course." Although I liked hunting, because it helped me think. But sometimes it was better to refrain from hunting and drink stored blood, because going out of the house always ran the risk of having to talk to someone. And when I was really into my solitude, I preferred to sit in the house all day and drink stored blood.

"Okay," Daniel said slowly. I could tell he thought it was weird, and I knew it was. I smiled as I led him out of the kitchen and walked down the hallway.

"There are two bedrooms and a bathroom down there." We walked down the hall and I pointed out each room, explaining its purpose (since I obviously had no need for a bedroom or a bathroom).

"This room is basically my guest room. I keep some stuff here, and sometimes I like to lay on the bed and pretend that I can sleep, but I try to keep this room clean in case I were ever to have guests." I laughed softly.

"The closet in that room is a whole bunch of clothes that I used to like, but don't anymore. The older fashions, totally ridiculous. And then the bathroom is my more clean one, the one where I know the placement of every single product, mostly only products that I would use every day. Such as shampoo and hairspray and eyeliner." I ignored the room at the very end of the hall. That was my Caleb room. Everything that reminded me about him, whether it was clothes I wore back then or a random book written by someone named Caleb, I kept in there. Sometimes, when the pain became too much, I would go into that room and reminisce. Most of the time I would end up dry sobbing for a few hours. I kept that door locked.

Daniel noticed, however. "What's in the other room?" He asked as we began walking back down the hall towards the stairs.

"Uh, a private work room." I quickly changed topic as we reached the stairs.

"The reason why all the clean stuff is down here is because I usually stay upstairs, and this is where it gets messy," I warned him as we walked up the stairs. He smiled.

"There are three bedrooms and a bathroom up here, I know it's pretty ridiculous since I don't need any of that but I didn't make the house. The bathroom is where I keep all of my makeup and all that girly stuff for when I'm bored or of I have to go to a special occasion, you know. Pretty boring for you. And the room right across from it is my main room. That's where I do most of my stuff, like computer and tv and read and write, all that. I have a pretty good sound system in there for my iPod, the comfiest couch ever made, a television that's actually quite large, endless notebooks, and my laptop. It also has a closet with all my main clothes, but I keep all my old clothes in the other rooms' closets and when I switch my style, I switch my main closet. So basically, I have the dream girl house." I smiled in humour.

"The room closer to the bathroom is probably the messiest one in the house. I guess I refer to it as my storage room, but I don't just keep stuff in there and stay in my main room all the time. Change of scenery, you know. Then the room at the end of the hall, is my more work-ish bedroom. It still has a bed, but the desks are overflowing with books. I suppose you could call it my library. Sometimes I like to work there instead of my regular room, so if I'm distracted, then at least it's by something literary." I smiled.

"So that's it." I sighed, shrugging at the library room.

"It's like you have a mansion hidden inside a plain, normal little suburban home." Daniel smiled.

I laughed and agreed with him. "Yeah, I suppose so. I think it's kind of weird, but it's always nice to have a few extra bedrooms in case I ever were to have guests. Guests that sleep, anyway." Oh the awkwardness of wondering if Daniel would be staying here or not. I suppose he picked up on it too because he looked down at his feet as he shifted his weight back and forth. I was about to laugh and tell him that he could stay here, I didn't care, but the nervousness got to me too.

Suddenly Daniel looked up. "How come there weren't any, like, pictures or paintings or anything on any of the walls? I mean, you seem to have a lot of stuff, but every room is like… Bare." Hmm, I had always noticed that too. Through all the clutter and crap, my house was ultimately empty.

I sighed. "I guess I've just never had a life to fill up on the walls. At least not one…" I trailed off. Not one that mattered? Not one that would be happening anytime soon? Not one that was public? All of the life I need was in the Caleb room.

Daniel nodded absently, picking up on my reluctance and reclusion.

He spoke suddenly. "Do you want me to stay here? I mean, in Seaham. You just have this life, this life of not living and not being with people. And I don't want to intrude just because I didn't want you to run off to Seaham by yourself, but I guess that wasn't really my place, I just wanted to tell you that I loved you, and then you seemed to want to show me where you lived but I don't have to stay here, I can go back to Forks or something, I just—" I cut off Daniel's nervous rambling by placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Ok don't get your knickers in a twist," I smiled teasingly. "It's ok. I didn't really realise it until recently, but after meeting you and all of the Cullens, it would be hard to go back to my life the way I was living it here. I suppose I just did it because it was the only way to get away from my life before that. But now I'm ready to start a new life, and I want you to be in it; I'm done with seclusion." I smiled again. Daniel's topaz eyes gazed at me softly through long lashes, and he smiled back. If I could blush, I would have.

"So… You've intrigued me. Just how large is 'quite large' for a television?" I smirked happily, grabbed his hand, and skipped down to my room. I threw open my door (it was the only one that was closed besides the Caleb room) and showed him.

First stepping into the room, you saw my window and my desk. We turned to the left and I walked Daniel over to my comfortable couch and sat down. He sat next to me so we faced the right of the room, where the tv was. It was hidden by the door when you opened the door, but sitting on the couch had you face it.

"Whoa," Daniel breathed as he looked at the blank television screen. I smiled.

"It's built into the wall." And built into the wall indeed, for it was almost as big as the wall. Not quite as low, though. It was close to the size of a movie theatre screen, but you could see every inch of the screen perfectly from the couch.

"And get this: I can plug my laptop into it and play videos from the computer. Like Youtube videos, or things that aren't on tv channels anymore." I smiled, knowing he was impressed. Sure enough, Daniel turned to me with wide eyes.

"And yet you actually leave the house?" He asked, dumbfounded. I giggled and nodded.

"You're crazy, woman," he muttered as he kissed me gently. His words made me want to laugh again, but I was too caught up in the kiss. He shifted on the couch, turning towards me, and I entwined my fingers in his hair. His arms snaked around my waist and pulled me closer, gently. My breath came out in a sigh as my lips pressed into his with more force. His hesitance dissolved quickly and his lips became rougher, more urgent, as my body got pulled closer to his again. I leaned into him without a second thought. But just as I leaned into him, his arms tightened around me to pull me closer again, and he fell back against the couch and I fell on top of him.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" I jumped up quickly in one swift movement. He sat up with embarrassment on his face and we stared at each other for awhile, non-blushing. After a few moments, I bit my lip and looked around the room randomly.

"Uh… where, I mean what, I mean what were, I mean where did, I mean… Um. My, I mean you, I mean if, i-it's no, I mean, um?" I was going to ask if he wanted to stay here, but it was too bloody awkward. Daniel got my drift though.

"Well, I was, you, I mean if, but I, you know, 'cause, yeah…" He looked at the floor nervously and then back at me. We laughed.

"Yeah, I mean it's no problem, I just didn't, you know, but you know, I…" That was less awkward but still weird.

"Sure, I just didn't want, you know, but if you, yeah, that's cool, I mean, you know." So it was settled, Daniel was staying here. Ok, now that that embarrassment was over with.

"Hey! You didn't bring clothes, did you?" Daniel's mind recollected and then he frowned in embarrassment.

"No."

I squealed loudly, causing him to jump. "We have to buy you new clothes!!!" I all but screamed in his ear as I grabbed his hand and yanked him from the couch, barely remembering to grab my jacket and purse as we left my room.

Once he recognised the meaning of my words, he cursed almost as loudly as I had screamed. I halted immediately, turning to him in mock surprise.

"Daniel… something… Cullen," I started in a reprimanding tone (you know, the kind that your mum gives when you're in trouble and she says your full name?) "Uhh…" I stopped, realising that I didn't know his name.

"Daniel James… Cullen, I guess. I haven't used any one last name for a long period of time and I had never belonged to a coven, so…" He shrugged.

"Daniel Cullen, well it suits you. Oh, I'm Ashleigh Spurr Hallimond, by the way. The Spurr Hallimond should actually be hyphenated since they're both last names, but I don't remember my middle name from when I was human and the last time I needed a full name, I had a different last name to use…" I trailed off. I had used Caleb's last name for the most part, but took it off a few decades after he died. When I was with him, Spurr-Hallimond was my middle name. But now Spurr was my middle name and Hallimond was my last name. Though I sometimes thought that Hallimond Spurr sounded better, but Ashleigh Hallimond sounded better than Ashleigh Spurr in my opinion, and if my name was Ashleigh Spurr Hallimond, then my initials spelled ASH, which was the nickname to Ashleigh that I hated being called, and Caleb had thought it was funny. So there we go.

Daniel smirked and shook my hand. "Nice to meet you." I rolled my eyes with a smile and tugged on his arm again, fleeing down the stairs.

"To the town!!!" I yelled enthusiastically as we flew out the door.

**Odd ending, I know, but then I can do a mall chapter! Gahhhhhh Daniel is going to get some really HOTTTT clothes.**

_Thanks to my beta, Obsessedwithwriting, who is Ashleigh's namesake and character base. Of course, Ashleigh is WAY cooler than Ashleigh. But which Ashleigh do I mean? Bwhahahaha. __**B.N.- Ok one it's obvious that it's vampire Ashleigh since she's a vampire and vampire's are cooler than me, and two, I added a bit of a funny saying because I wouldn't put chillax and other stuff that sounded wrong for UK talk. AND PEOPLE GO REVIEW THIS NOW!!!! I did karate for over a year, I know my moves! **__A.N- ok fine, metro centre not mall. Mam not mom. And suburbs are like the cross between urban and rural. Urban is the city, like New York, and rural is more countryside, where you have to walk 10 miles to get to a small store. Suburbs are inbetween that, but suburban-style homes look alike and are practically connected to each other. I suppose it's just normal housing then, I don't know. ….In three days you'll understand why I said chillax. And thanks, since I obviously know nothing about the UK. Of course I meant you, because you're my friend and you actually exist, but I suppose vampires are pretty cool._


	15. LET'S GO TO THE MALL!

**I might not be updating a lot, because I'm probably starting a new college thing soon and I don't know how much time that will take. Then after I finish that, hopefully I'll be going to University in England with my beta and best friend, Ashleigh! Hopefully. :]**

**I do not own Twilight. I own Daniel. Please review.**

**Daniel's POV**

Ugh, shopping. Not really one of my favourite things to do. But Ashleigh was right, I needed clothes. Gah.

"Come on, Daniel!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside a store, running quickly. Within 15 seconds, she had an entire arm full of clothes. I stared at her in bewilderment, but she was busy flitting around the store, grabbing more stuff.

Watching her scurry around, picking up clothes and inspecting them, dancing from rack to rack, it was actually fun. It was obvious that she was having fun and her excitement rubbed off on me.

Besides, it wasn't like I had to do much except look at her as she picked out clothes. Looking at her was one of my favourite pastimes, anyway. She was beautiful, even more so now that she was happy. The joy she got from shopping spread around her and lifted into the air, spreading over me as well. It was almost as if Jasper was here, controlling our emotions to make us feel ecstatic. But I knew he wasn't. Nor did I want him to be. I didn't want any males, human or vampire, near Ashleigh.

"Can I help you find anything?" Oops, I spoke too soon. A male worker made his way over to Ashleigh as soon as she slowed down and plastered a smile on his face, as if she was having trouble getting clothes and was just waiting for him to walk over and help her. As he waited for her to answer, his gaze flitted over her body. A low growl ripped from my chest as I walked over to where they were.

"Does it _look_ like she needs help finding anything?" I spit, teeth clenched tight.

"N-no." He looked at me fearfully, backing down quickly. I scowled at him for good measure and turned my back, shielding Ashleigh from his view.

She watched the exchange with an open mouth and raised eyebrows, giggling when I turned to face her.

"He was just trying to be helpful, Daniel. You didn't have to go and intimidate him."

I rolled my eyes and snorted. "Oh, he was being helpful all right. Helping himself get into your pants." I held back another growl. Ashleigh looked startled and almost dropped the shirt she was inspecting.

"Oh? Uh, eh… Nah, um… Heh." She cleared her throat and shook her head then returned to the clothes.

I don't really know why I was so protective. Yes, he was looking at her in a way that was disrespectful, but surely it happened to her all the time. It's not like I was completely honourable in how I looked at her, either. I suppose it's just the natural male territorial-ness. Not that I thought of her as territory. No, she was a woman. A beautiful woman who deserved to be treated well , taken care of, and loved. And I'm up for the task. That store clerk certainly wasn't. He just wanted what all human males wanted. It was sick, really. How they could just look at a girl and think of only that, not want her for anything else except that. And Ashleigh never would have realised it if I hadn't said anything, if I hadn't interrupted.

But was there a reason why all human males wanted that and only that?

My eyes flickered to Ashleigh as she held up a jacket, turning it around and muttering to herself. I could see why the store clerk was so attracted to her body, especially with the dainty, fluid way in which she moved, and the way her clothes fit snugly to enhance her most attractive features. I wondered if she ever thought of me in this way, and why humans seemed to think in this way so often. What exactly does this type of thinking accomplish?

Ashleigh turned to me suddenly, holding up a clothing item questioningly, and I quickly returned my gaze to her eyes feeling as if I had been caught staring at her. Which I kind of was.

"No, nevermind. It's brown." She returned the clothing to its hanger and walked to a different rack.

"Is there something wrong with brown?"

"No, as long as you're not wearing it." I looked at her in confusion.

"You wouldn't look good in brown." She said simply.

"Oh…" We dropped conversation and I tried not to stare at her as I had been. But now that those thoughts had entered my head, I couldn't get them out. What I was going to do with the thoughts, I wasn't sure. It's not as if I knew exactly what I was doing. Bella had been my first girlfriend as a vampire, and I'd never really felt this way about her. I liked kissing her, sure. But I never once thought of anything farther than that. And of course, I couldn't remember my human life, so I couldn't remember if I'd ever felt this way back then and what became of the feelings. At least I knew enough not to mention any of this to Ashleigh, and I knew enough to know that our relationship should go slower than that.

"Ok, time for you to try on!" Ashleigh led me to a back section of the store with a bunch of little rooms with curtains. She walked into a room that had the curtain open and placed an arm full of clothes on the small seating bench, then hung up the rest of the clothes on the various hooks.

"Show me each outfit after you get it on," she said before exiting the room and pulling the curtain shut.

I looked around the clothes and picked up a pair of black skinny jeans and a grey shirt with coloured designs. Shrugging, I changed into the clothes and looked in the mirror. I was slightly bewildered as to how well the clothes fit. They were tight in all the right places, and loose in all the right places. How had Ashleigh known my size? How had she known these would fit? Just by looking at me?

Wait… Did that mean she looked at me like I had been looking at her?  
The thought sent several other thoughts swirling around my head, giving me emotions and feelings that I was not used to.

Ok, chill out, Daniel. She's probably one of those natural born shoppers who can tell anyone's size just by looking at them, or maybe this was a coincidence.

I nodded. That was it. I blinked and punched aside the curtain to show Ashleigh the outfit. She looked it over once, inspecting dutifully as she had done with the clothes on the hanger. But then her gaze started to linger, and the expression on her face changed. I bit my lip and her eyes returned to mine.

"Definitely getting that." She nodded to herself.

"Try on something else."

I walked back into the room and closed the curtain, smiling. "I think you got my size down pat. Trying on is pretty useless."

She sighed. "You obviously don't understand… Trying on is not just for sizing, it's to see how the things look together."

"Oh, of course." Yeah, as if that made any real sense. I shook my head and tried on another pair of black skinny jeans, this time with a light bluish-green long-sleeved shirt.

"They're the same jeans," I noted as I stepped out of the room.

"No, they're not. There's a lot of differences! Do you want me to name them all?" Her eyes held horror at my unintelligence towards why these jeans were different than the others.

"Ok, they're different." I smiled. She glanced at my clothes and nodded.

"That's a good outfit too. Now, hurry up. We have four more stores to stop at. You change awfully slow for a vampire." She spoke the last sentence so soft that only I could hear it. I rolled my eyes and headed back into the dressing room.

She wanted fast, I'd give her fast.

"Bam!" I yelled as I threw aside the fitting room curtain and marched out to show her my new outfit. Heheh, I don't think she was expecting me to change _that_ fast. A smugly triumphant smile was on my face as I watched her reaction. I had expected her to sputter and stutter, wondering how I changed so fast. Instead, her jaw dropped open as her gaze ran over my body.

At first, it was uncomfortable. But then the look in her eyes reminded me of thoughts and feelings I'd had earlier, and I wondered if she was thinking the same thing.

Ashleigh blinked rapidly and closed her mouth, looking up at my eyes with a smile.

"And why did you decide not to put a shirt on?" What? I looked down and noticed that, indeed, I was shirtless. In my haste to change outfits quickly, I had remembered to put on pants (thank goodness) but forgotten a shirt.

"Uh…" Suddenly, I was very embarrassed. If I could have blushed, I would have been.

"Uh, you said I was slow, uh, so I changed fast…" Ashleigh smiled again as she led me back into the fitting room.

"Fast, yes. But thorough," My back hit the wall and I looked down at Ashleigh as her hands grabbed my waist and her body pressed closer to mine. "Thorough would also be nice," she finished her sentence as she ran her hands along my abs and chest. When her fingers trailed lightly across my stomach right under my belly button, it took all the strength I had not to move. What would've happened if I moved, I don't know, but I don't think it would be anything that was considered appropriate in a store's dressing room.

"Now put on a shirt before I get too distracted." Ashleigh's hands fell off of me and her body no longer touched mine. She smiled once before leaving the room, closing the curtain behind her.

As soon as she was gone, I started breathing heavily, as if I were a human and had held my breath for too long. For a second, I could've sworn that my heart was beating fast, too. Of course it wasn't, but it certainly felt that way.

Once my breathing calmed, I continued to try on the clothes Ashleigh had picked out for me, making sure I was fully dressed each time.

We then went to four other stores, practically buying out their entire selection, before returning to her house with me carrying the bags. It was a long, exhausting day.

**Crappy ending, I know. But just be glad you have a chapter. I'll be glad if you review!!!! (:**

_Big, whopping thanks go to my beta, Ashleigh, for giving me the idea that started 'The Thief' and for letting me use her name (and various personality traits) for my character Ashleigh. I truly do have the best beta in the world. Not only is she a fantastic writer, but she's letting me go to her college!!!! (if my mum lets me) So yeah, YAY for Obsessed(dot)with(dot)writing! :] __**B.N- ~Wipes away drool from chin~ I loved it, but that's because 'I' had a hot guy perving on 'me' and then 'I' got to perv on a hot guy. And if people don't review then I'm going to hit them over the head with University application forms! **__A.N.- Lol and I thought Ashleigh was gonna be freaking out, like 'are you secretly in love with me?!?!?' which I'm not, by the way, I'm straight. It was weird to write about Daniel perving on her though since it was in his POV and wait a minute, he wasn't perving! He's too hot and nice for that! xD_


	16. And So It Begins

**Disclaimer- I own nothing.**

**Not even my face.  
D:**

**Ashleigh's POV**

Yes! Shopping time. As a girl, of course I love shopping. And I rarely got to do it now. Before going to Forks, I hardly ever left my house. Therefore, I didn't need clothes. And as a vampire, it's not like my size ever changed.

So yeah, happy to go shopping. I especially can't wait to see everything that Daniel looks good in… Although maybe it's not a good thing to think of him as my Barbie doll. But I wanna pick out clothes that I think are hot, cause I know he'll make them ever hotter. The clothes he has now are kinda plain. Still a good style, but plain. I'm going to make him the hottest guy to ever walk the planet.

Tehe, not that he needs any help with that. But anyway…

Oh, why do I talk to myself? I sound so stupid. Blah. At least he can't read minds. Oh, that would be bad.

Alright, time to get my head in the game.

"Come on, Daniel!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside a store, running quickly. We had so much to do and so little time. Well, not really…Vampire have infinite time… But I had five stores I wanted to go through today, and I'd be upset if we didn't get them all finished.

I could tell Daniel wasn't as excited about the shopping as I was. Well of course not, he was a guy. Either way, I was happy to do all the shopping by myself. Within 15 seconds of entering the store, I had an armload of clothes. If it wasn't for the humans, I could go vampire speed and we'd get a week's worth of shopping done in one hour. But nooo. Silly humans.

I scurried around each rack, picking up clothes and examining them, dancing around the store happily. As I shopped, I was aware that Daniel followed me slowly, just watching me pick up stuff. I suppose he thought it was odd. I didn't really care, though. Shopping was first in my mind.

Okay, it's usually cold and rainy here, so he's gonna need lots of jacket and long sleeves. Oooh, hoodies. Yes, lots and lots of hoodies. He would look so good in a hoodie.

"Can I help you find anything?" I looked up to see who spoke. Of course, it was a sales attendant. Uninspected clothes were still in my hands as I thought, 'yeah it looks like I need some help. Just having a terrible time looking through stuff.' Ha ha ha. Before I could politely decline, Daniel walked over and spoke.

"Does it _look_ like she needs help finding anything?" Daniel spit, growling slightly.

"N-no." The sales attendant looked at Daniel fearfully, stepping backwards slowly. Daniel scowled and turned away from him, placing his body in front of mine.

I had been watching with an open mouth and raised eyebrows, and I giggled when Daniel turned to me.

"He was just trying to be helpful, Daniel. You didn't have to go and intimidate him."

I shook my head in amusement and went back to sorting and inspecting clothes.

He snorted. "Oh, he was being helpful all right. Helping himself get into your pants." WHAT THE HELL! I looked at him, startled, and almost dropped the shirt I was inspecting. I was not expecting him to say that. I was not expecting that to even be considered to say…

"Oh? Uh, eh… Nah, um… Heh." I cleared my throat, shook my head, and returned to the clothes. No way in hell did that just happen. The sales attendant wasn't thinking anything like that. Why would Daniel think he was? And then…Daniel seemed very pissed at the attendant. I…was he being protective, territorial?

But did that mean that Daniel thought of me in that way? Like the attendant?  
No, Ashleigh don't be stupid. First off, Daniel would not be disrespectful in that way. Second, no one thinks about you like that…Not even that clerk. Daniel was just mistaken.

Ugh. If Daniel _did_ think of me like that….

I glanced at him, letting my gaze flicker over his body quickly. Hot damn. No, stop it! I shook my head and returned to the clothes. I bit my lip and gulped slightly. Focus on the clothes, focus on the clothes. Oh, but I have to decide if they would fit him. That means imagining him in the clothes… Which means the clothes he's wearing now…. NO! Stop it. Dammit, I'm such a perv.

I muttered to myself as I inspected clothes, trying desperately to distract myself from my thoughts. But the fact that I could feel Daniel looking at me certainly wasn't helping with that. I know he was only looking at me with impatience, or maybe confusion…but still.

I looked up suddenly and held up a shirt to him questioningly. His eyes connected with mine quickly.

"No, nevermind. It's brown." I said before he even had a chance to look at it. I returned the shirt to its hanger and went to another rack. Daniel followed slowly.

"Is there something wrong with brown?" I glanced up at him and then returned to looking at clothes.

"No, as long as you're not wearing it." He looked at me in confusion.

"You wouldn't look good in brown." I said simply.

"Oh…" he said awkwardly. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. How could he not know that he wouldn't look good in brown? Jeez. Men. Even vampire men still know nothing about fashion…Hell, not even fashion, just basic how-to-look-good stuff. Ah well. Men'll never learn, and that's what women are here for, anyway.

Hmm…He would look really good in black. Oh, yes. That would be a smart choice. Extremely smart. Like these jeans here. The perfect skinny kind. They'll be tight in all the right places, and loose in all the right places. Wow, a perfect pair of skinny jeans are so hard to find. But here they are, and we must get them.

"Ok, time for you to try on!" I said, leading him back to the trying on rooms. Oh, right. This is the store that only has the little curtains, and not full doors. Hm.

I walked into a room with an open curtain and placed a bunch of clothes on the seating bench, then hung up the rest on the various hooks.

"Show me each outfit after you get it on," I told him as I exited the room, closing the curtain behind me. That was, of course, obvious, but I figured that he would need me to spell it out for him. Guys just don't know how to shop. Sigh.

Ok, what the hell? He was taking forever. How long does it take to put clothes on? Well, okay…he has to take off the ones he's wearing. Don't think about it.

But seriously. Rip off, pull on. Done. And he's still in there. Double you tee eff?

Just then, Daniel walked out wearing black skinny jeans and a grey shirt with colourful designs. Oh damn, I do know how to pick out sizes very well. I inspected the outfit once to make sure. Oh yes. I pick sizes well. And, man, did he look hot. The black, with the grey…the skinny, tight with the loose… Oh yeah. Oh, oops. I tore my gaze away from his…outfit…and back to his eyes.

"Definitely getting that." I nodded.

"Try on something else." Quickly, before I jump you right here and right now.

He walked back into the room and closed the curtain. "I think you got my size down pat. Trying on is pretty useless."

I sighed. Was he raised by wolves? Jeez. "You obviously don't understand… Trying on is not just for sizing, it's to see how the things look together."

"Oh, of course," he said as if it made all the sense in the world. Blah. Men just know nothing.

"They're the same jeans," Daniel said as he came out of the room this time.

WHAT!? …I just had a heart attack. How the…what… hell? …WHAT?!

"No, they're not. There's a lot of differences! Do you want me to name them all?" My eyes were still wide in horror and shock. I mean, what the duck? How could he even….oh my…what the ..?

"Ok, they're different." He smiled. Jeez…wow. That was freaky.

I glanced at his clothes and nodded. Yeah, good outfit.

"That's a good outfit too. Now, hurry up. We have four more stores to stop at. You change awfully slow for a vampire." I was getting impatient, I had to tell him to change faster. I said the last sentence low, so that no humans could hear.

Daniel raised his eyebrow and ran back into the dressing room. Literally seven seconds later, the curtain was thrown aside and he jumped out.

"Bam!" He smiled triumphantly and I looked at the outfit he had put on. My jaw dropped open. Daniel had forgotten a shirt. He…was standing three feet in front of me…half naked. My gaze moved up and down, drinking in every detail thirstily exactly like drinking blood from an animal after being thirsty for several weeks. He was….so perfect. He had those nice abs that were subtle, but not too subtle. You could definitely see all the lines of muscle, but they didn't poke out and scream at you. They weren't like those abs that look like six packs of boobs. They were perfect…man abs. So…wonderful. Wow, calm, focus.

I blinked rapidly and closed my mouth, looking up at Daniel with a smile.

"And why did you decide not to put a shirt on?" He looked down and realised he was, indeed, shirtless.

"Uh…" Aww, he was so cute when he was embarrassed. I swear he would have been blushing if he could have been.

"Uh, you said I was slow, uh, so I changed fast…" I led him back into the fitting room with a smile.

"Fast, yes. But thorough," I pushed his back against the wall, grabbing his waist and pressing my body closer to his. "Thorough would also be nice," I finished my sentence, running my hands along his abs and chest. Oh so perfect. When my fingers trailed lightly across his stomach right under his belly button, he quivered slightly, as if restraining movement. Mm, what would have happened if he had moved? Probably not anything suitable or appropriate for a store's dressing room.

"Now put on a shirt before I get too distracted." I pulled myself away from him before my thoughts could overwhelm my brain and my actions. I smiled once at him before pulling close the curtain.

I walked back to the wall I had been resting against as I waited for Daniel to change and sunk down to a squat, breathing heavily. Woah, I needed to calm down. I hadn't expected him to look so perfect…so desirable. My thoughts were out on control.

I could see him in my mind's eye. Amazing. If I kept up like this, it was definitely going to be a long day… So I had to try to think of other things. But I was sure that as soon as I saw him, my mind would automatically take of whatever shirt he was wearing and just stare at his perfect abs. His stomach was so perfect. I hadn't seen beauty like that ever since… No, don't go there. Can't go there.

Thank goodness I had caught my breath completely by the time he came back out with another outfit on. It was hard to focus on the clothes after that, but I managed.

We then went to four other stores, practically buying out their entire selection, before returning to my house with Daniel carrying the bags. It was a long, exhausting day. Yet exciting. I love shopping.

**Yes, I know it's been awhile. Shoot me. I moved, I had no internet, I had no creativity, blahblahblah. Review.**

**AND YOU SHOULD ALL SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ASHLEIGH COS IT'S HER SEXY 17****TH**** BIRTHDAY TODAY AND SHE'S THE REASON THIS CHAPTER EXISTS.**

**Happy Birthday Ashleigh xD**


	17. There She Goes Again

**Merry Christmas Ashleigh!  
**

**Ashleigh's POV**

When we got back to my house, Daniel and I carried loads of clothes in from the car and to the guest bedroom.

"Ugh. Did I really need this much?"

"Yes." I answered him without pause.

"Alrighty then."

When I opened up the closet door of the guest bedroom, I was shocked to find that I had more clothes in there than I thought I had.

"Er…This could be a problem." There was absolutely no room. At all. Whatsoever.

"Oh well, looks like we have to return all this usel—"

"Don't. Even. Go. There." I cut Daniel off with a sharp look. He looked at me in shock for a few seconds before smiling in amusement. I smiled back, realising how insanely crazy woman that sounded, and giggled once before returning to the closet. I inspected it from every angle, but there was just no way these clothes would fit.

"Ah, well. I've got plenty of room in my main closet. Come on." I picked up shopping bags and headed to my room, with Daniel following close behind.

I opened my closet door and pushed all my clothes to one side to make room for Daniel's. After that, I started taking clothes out of bags and ripping off the tags. After hanging up a few items of clothing right after getting all the tags off, I got a better idea.

"Actually…you know what will work better?" I picked up the bags and carried them to my bed and sat down. I'd untag all the clothes first and then put them on the hangers on the closet. It would work easier.

Daniel walked over with his half of clothes and sat down also. We took off tags in silence for a few minutes before he spoke.

"So, did you have fun picking out all my clothes?"

"Of course. Shopping is fun. I'm not even gonna ask if you had fun cos I know the answer is no. That's okay, I guess. I mean, you're male. But it was important to get you some hot clothes, and that's what we did. So it's all good."

Daniel smiled at my slight rambling. "Okay." I smiled sheepishly and returned to detagging the clothes.

Seventeen minutes later, Daniel and I had taken all the tags off the clothes and I grabbed them and walked to the closet to hang them up.

"Do you want some help with that?" Daniel asked.

I waved him away from the closet. "Nah, I got it. You rest…I know you didn't enjoy the shopping trip like I did." He laughed slightly.

"That's true."

I smiled even though he couldn't see me and concentrated on hanging up all the clothes in a nice order. Once I realised I had my back turned to Daniel and he was still sitting on my bed, my thoughts from earlier in the day came trickling back into my brain. Hmm… Ah, why was I thinking that way? Isn't that kind of inappropriate? I mean, he's my boyfriend, but still. I bet he doesn't imagine things… Well, it's not like I'm acting on them or anything. I'm still, I don't know, rusty at this? I guess. It's been over 200 years since I've done any of this. Until Daniel, I hadn't even gone out on any dates since Caleb died… And he and I had shared everything together, and now it was all new to me again. Although, how much could things change? Hopefully not a lot. I don't even know how much experience Daniel has.

Oh, what am I thinking?? Things are not going to progress like that. It's a wonder I even know how to kiss properly anymore. OH CRAP! What if I don't? What if I've been kissing him wrong all this time? I wouldn't know. Obviously I can't have bad breath, but what if I was too soft? Too hard? Have I ever bitten his lip? Did I not use tongue when I was supposed to? Wow…I could have been doing this wrong the whole time and I would never know. I thought kissing was a pretty easy thing to remember, and I thought I was doing well, I mean it felt great. But what if I had been doing something wrong? Daniel would never tell me. Oh man, oh man, oh man. This is not cool.

Ugh, and I had been looking forward to getting done with these clothes and then maybe just hanging out with Daniel, talking or kissing, or both. But now, I don't know! What if I am horrible at it? Oh my, I can't believe this is happening.

Suddenly I looked down at my hands. During my mind rant, I had been working overtime and now I was done with the clothes. I glanced over my shoulder slightly to see Daniel still sitting on my bed, staring at something on the opposite wall. I quickly turned my head back around and gulped. Here goes…

I spun around and walked back to my bed, trying to seem nonchalant and innocent. Instead, I ended up almost tripping over my bin on the way. Oh what the hell! Vampires aren't supposed to trip, you idiot. And that's one sure way to make Daniel think something's up. You know, you're so friggin' frustrating sometimes, Ashleigh! Crap..stop talking to yourself, you sound crazy.

"You done with the clothes already?" Daniel asked with a slightly bewildered tone as I sat down across from him on my bed.

"Uh yeah… Apparently."

"Hm. Guess you really didn't need my help after all."

"Nope, I didn't." We laughed softly. I bit my lip and darted my eyes away from his face, realising I had been staring at him. At the same time, Daniel blinked and looked down at the bed sheepishly. Had he been staring at me too? Nah.

Oh man, is this going to turn into one of those awkward moments? Dammit, why am I so stupid?

"You know…" Daniel started, then trailed off. He frowned, sighed, and started again.

"Ashleigh, you know I think you're really cool, right?" He scooted closer to me slightly, seemingly hesitant and weighing my reaction.

What to say? Oh, I'm a vampire, I'm naturally cool. No. I think you're cool too. No. Why thank you kind sir. No! Argh…

"Pfft. You just like my English accent." I smiled coolly. Aw, hell..I did _not_ just go with that line. For heaven's sake, Ashleigh, you're not cool. Why do you try?

Daniel smiled and scooted closer again. "Maybe. But that's not all I like about you."

What? "Oh really?" I asked. He kept scooting closer as he and I said those sentences. Now he was almost in front of my face, with his legs folded sideways behind him and his left arm propping him up on the bed. I was sitting in a similar fashion, hanging my legs off the bed and laying diagonally with my right arm propped behind my ear.

"Mmhmm," he murmured as leaned forward with his eyes closed, reaching his free arm out to caress my hair gently before kissing me softly.

The slight feeling was so passionate, so electrifying that I gasped before I could catch myself. Daniel started to pull away, but I leaned forward and continued the kiss. It was so perfect. So soft, so light…It left me craving more.

Simultaneously, Daniel and I leaned off of our arms and began sitting up into cross-legged positions, still keeping our lips locking. He placed his hands on my back gently and pulled me towards him. I went willingly, with a sigh. We kissed slowly and softly, just gently caressing each other's lips with care and love. Daniel lightly pressed the tip of his tongue to the center of my bottom lip. I shivered involuntarily and pressed myself closer to him. His arms wrapped around my back gently and pulled me closer to him, leaning back slightly. I allowed him to pull me back and leaned into him, pressing him down against my bed until I was laying on top of him. We didn't break the kiss the entire time. That was a good thing about vampires, you don't need to stop for air.

"Ashleigh," Daniel murmured and pushed some of my hair back.

"Mm, Daniel." I traced my fingers along his chest. Holy crap, I could feel his soft muscles though his shirt. He looked so sexy without his shirt on earlier today, I thought vaguely. Before I knew it, my hand had glided down his stomach and started sliding up his shirt slowly, exposing his abs. Daniel leaned forward slightly and unwrapped his arms from around me to pull his shirt off. When he lifted it over his head, our lips disconnected and I looked down.

"Wow," I gulped. His skin was so smooth, so perfect. He had muscles, he had abs, but his stomach was flat and his muscles didn't stick out like some do. He was just….Wow.

I quickly returned my lips back to his and kissed him with more pressure than last time. This kiss was more passionate, more heated, more rushed, more desperate. Our lips moved quickly in perfect sync, lighting up all sorts of new fires and creating intense feelings. Daniel muttered softly, his arms wrapped around me again, pulling me closer every few seconds. I let my fingers lazily brush along the sides of his torso with one hand, and dug my other hand into his soft lush hair. When he dragged his fingers up my back and back down again, I shivered slightly and pressed closer to him automatically. He knotted his fingers into my hair gently, pressing his tongue to my lip again. I opened my mouth slightly and let his tongue travel in. He did so hesitantly, feeling around small spaces at a time.

Damn, was this what it was like kissing Caleb? Did it ever feel this good? I can't remember. I can't think of anything right now except Daniel. His lips kissing mine. His hands on me. His bare chest underneath me. The feel of him, the feel of being with him, the feel of being on him. It all overwhelmed my brain and my senses. I never wanted this to end.

As we kissed, Daniel's hands wandered from my back to my sides, slowly sliding my shirt up as his fingers traced across my skin. Slowly, he began to purposefully pull my shirt up and I allowed him to slid it off of me. I heard his intake of breath once he got my shirt removed, but I had my eyes closed. I didn't want to know if it was a good gasp or a bad one. I didn't want to see him looking at me.

His lips quickly crashed against mine and moved in passion, his tongue sliding over my lips gently. I sighed in contentment as I knotted the fingers of one hand into his hair, and traced the wonderful lines of his chest muscles with my other hand. Daniel shivered underneath me and pressed his hips up into mine, gently grinding against me. That's when I realised where this was going.

I rolled over with a slight gasp, tumbling off of him and the bed, eyes wide. I didn't want to go there. I couldn't.  
I stood up and began backing away, out my door. My eyes were kept on him the whole time and I knew I was disappointing him, but I couldn't.

"Daniel, I'm sorry. I-I can't." With that, I fled the room and was out of the house and into the woods within ten seconds. I ran as fast as I could, dodging trees and rocks skillfully as I put as much distance between me and the house as possible.

But why was I running? I didn't really know. My body was ready for it. It wanted it. But I couldn't let myself do that. Why not?  
Caleb was dead… It's not like I would have been cheating. And it's not like I didn't want Daniel. I did. He was perfect.

I ran in the woods for six hours and still, when I finally started heading back to my house in the wee hours of the morning, I couldn't explain anything. All I knew was that it wasn't right.

**Yeah, so I had been working on this for a long time. I was gonna try to finish it and give it to you as a second birthday chapter… lol so you can tell it's been forever xD  
But yeah… Merry Christmas. It sucks I know. D:**

**And if there's anyone else who actually reads it, you should just know, I love Obsessed(dot)with(dot)writing !  
:D**


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